


Fake Boyfriend

by Ravenpuff91



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: GingerRoseWeek2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:34:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24739333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ravenpuff91/pseuds/Ravenpuff91
Summary: Rose needs to find someone to pretend to be her boyfriend for an office party...And Hux is perfect for the job.Fake boyfriend AU, GingerRose
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico
Comments: 8
Kudos: 85





	Fake Boyfriend

**Author's Note:**

> My first gingerrose fic! I never thought I'd ship these two, but there you go. Mentions of Reylo.

Rose groaned, throwing herself back into her bed, phone pressed against her ear, "What was I thinking?"

Her sister laughed, "You weren't."

"Gee, thanks Paige," she huffed, staring up at her ceiling morosely, "I know it was stupid, but Finn was being so….urgh."

"Very eloquently put," the amusement in her sister's voice was obvious, even through the phone.

Rose ignored her comment. She knew Finn wasn't being cruel on purpose. It still hurt all the same, knowing that he'd moved on so quickly while she hadn't even been on a date in months...and that he knew it. 

"Rose? You still there?"

Rose blinked, coming back to the present, "Yeah, sorry...I'm here."

Rose could picture her sister's smile as she spoke, "Don't worry, sis! It shouldn't be too hard to find someone to be your fake boyfriend! It's only for one office party! Why don't you ask one of your friends?"

"No can do," Rose sighed, "All the guys I know are friends with Finn too. They'll tell Finn right away if I ask any of them. Besides, the only reason I would even have a secret boyfriend is if I thought my friends and family wouldn't approve."

Paige hummed in thought, "So someone all your friends hate would be preferable...Wait, wasn't there a new guy who started at your work? I seem to recall you complaining about him quite a few times."

"Solo? He somehow convinced Rey to give him a chance so that's a big no," Rose rolled onto her stomach, hugging a pillow to her chest. 

"No, not Solo," Paige hummed in thought, "Oh what was it? You told me his name...he began working a little bit before Solo, if I remember your whining correctly."

Rose instantly knew who she meant and her stomach did a little flip. Her voice came out a bit strangled as she said his name, "Hux?"

"That's the one," her sister crowed, "Hux! I think you called him the devil incarnate once…how about asking him?"

"No... Absolutely not," Rose was glad they weren't on a video call, or Paige would have called her out on her reddened cheeks.

"Why not? I seem to remember Finn hating on the guy too, when I came to visit. He'd be perfect! Unless he's suddenly become a saint and befriended everyone in the office."

"Well, no," Rose admitted, fidgeting with the edge of her pillow, "He's...he's still very much unliked around the office."

Her sister made an intrigued sound, "But you don't find him as unlikable as before."

Rose groaned, trying to ignore her sister's cackle of triumph, "Ok, ok! He's not...all that bad. He can actually be kind of nice, when he's not being a jerk."

"Is he hot?"

Rose felt both mortified and amused, "Paige!"

"Come on, Rosie," came her sister's plaintive reply, "I need details! You went from hating his guts to 'He's not that bad'!"

It was true. Rose had hated Hux. And then Finn had broken up with her. She'd held it together for a whole week before she broke down in the janitor's closet. Hux had found her there and he'd been...surprisingly sweet. He'd even offered her a monogrammed handkerchief.

However, she wasn't about to tell Paige any of this. Her sister did not need to know how much Finn had hurt her. Or how much she was actually interested in Hux. 

"I'm waiting," her sister sing-songed from the other end of the line.

"Ugh, fine! We've just...spent a lot of time together. He's a bit useless with computers so I've been in his cubbie almost every day. We've been able to get to know each other better," Rose hesitated before admitting, "And, yes, he's hot, alright? I couldn't admit it before with a boyfriend, but he's very attractive."

"Rose," Paige's voice was firm, "You are going to march up to this man tomorrow and ask him to be your pretend boyfriend. And then, who knows? Maybe he'll decide he wants to be the real thing."  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

"Rose, we need to talk," Rey looked serious, though a hint of a smile softened the expression.

Rose swiveled her chair around to give her friend, and coworker, her full attention, "Am I in trouble?"

"What's this I hear about a secret boyfriend?"

She winced, seeing the hurt in Rey's face, the truth a lump in her throat, "Sorry, Rey...It just...happened so quickly. A-And I, uh, didn't think you guys would approve."

"Rose," Rey's voice was both firm and soft, "You know I'd never judge you. For heaven's sake, I'm dating Ben Solo now, the brooding mountain nobody could stand to work with! If anybody would understand, you know I would."

Her throat felt too tight, and a wave of shame spread over her. She was this close to confessing to Rey it was all a lie. But just at that moment, Finn popped his head in the door, his smile a bit forced, "Good morning, ladies! Uh, Rose, how's the...uh...boyfriend?"

He said it hesitantly, as if he didn't believe there really was a boyfriend. It instantly made her bristle, even if his obvious suspicions were right on the mark.

"Great! He's looking forward to the party," she said brightly. Finn still looked skeptical and now pity had entered his expression. 

She clenched her fists to keep from punching him. Rey was looking from her to Finn, brows furrowed. Finn opened his mouth, but was interrupted by the shrill ring of the phone. 

Rose swiveled around and picked it up in one smooth move, grateful for the interruption, "IT department, Rose speaking."

"Ah, good morning, Miss Tico," a smooth, accented voice answered.

Her face flushed and for a moment she couldn't speak. She cleared her throat, "Oh, Hux! Good morning! Is there something I can help you with?"

He cleared his own throat at the other end, "...Yes. Would you mind stepping into my cubicle in a bit? This infuriating piece of machinery refuses to cooperate...again."

Despite her embarrassment, she found a chuckle slipping out of her mouth, "I'll be over in a jiffy!"

"Thank you," his prim, British voice replied before the line went dead. She hung up the phone, a genuine smile on her face. 

"I've never seen a man who has so many technological problems," Rey laughed, hazel eyes twinkling. Rose found herself laughing as well. Hux's ineptitude with computers had become kind of endearing to her.

Finn scoffed from the door. Rose had honestly forgotten he was still there.

"He's the biggest prick in the office. I don't know how you can stand being around him so often," Finn looked genuinely bothered...which made all the doubts she'd had about her sister's suggestion vanish. Her sister was right. Hux was the perfect choice.

Shrugging nonchalantly, Rose stood, stepping past him, "I actually don't mind that much."

She left Finn with his mouth hanging open, striding down the hall toward Hux's cubicle. 

"You're ridiculous…"

She paused right outside the cubicle at Ben Solo's voice. Though neither Hux nor Ben thought of the other as a friend, they were very clearly that. 

"I refuse to hear a lecture about ridiculousness from you," came Hux's reply, "You once threw a printer across the copying room, all because it jammed."

"That printer hated me," Ben retorted petulantly, and Rose could almost picture the large man pouting.

"Printers are inanimate objects. They cannot feel," Hux sounded affronted by the suggestion.

"That makes two of you," Ben's voice was teasing and light, a recent development since he'd started dating Rey.

Rose decided she'd better intervene before Ben got a fist to the face.

"You know that's not true, Ben," she chided, stepping in, "Hux feels very deeply."

Both men looked up at her. Hux looked panicked for a moment before his mouth set into a grim line. He gave Ben a menacing look, before looking back up at her. She reminded herself to breathe...those green-blue eyes of his would one day be her downfall.

Ben rolled his eyes, but when his gaze turned to her, his lips were set into a smirk, "The only thing he 'feels deeply' about is tea, his cat and..."

A swift kick to Ben's shins stopped whatever he was going to say. The giant man yelped then turned to glare at Hux, who looked utterly unrepentant. Rose couldn't help but laugh, even as she curiously wondered what Hux didn't want Ben divulging.

"I can tell when I'm not wanted," Ben cuffed his coworker on the back of the head, which earned him a sneer, "I'll make myself scarce. See you at lunch."

"You will not see me at lunch. I refuse to be party to another snogging session between you and Miss Johnson," Hux called out to the departing man.

A satisfied smirk crossed Ben's face, "Jealous? You know what you need? Your own 'snogging' partner. Maybe they could even help you remove the stick stuck up your ass."

Hux's green eyes narrowed into a fearsome glare, "You have two seconds to get out of my sight, Solo, or I'll be the one throwing a printer. At you."

Throwing an amused grin her direction, Ben stepped out, seemingly unconcerned with Hux's threat. Hux seemed to deflate and Rose had to bite back a smile, "Has he been like this all week?"

Hux groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, "The prat has been insufferable. He has been oozing so much happiness, I am starting to feel like I am drowning in it."

Rose laughed, and felt pleased when Hux dropped his hand and his lips quirked the smallest bit into what she knew passed as a smile for him, "Rey is just as annoyingly happy. Now, let's take a look at your computer. What seems to be the problem?"

He cleared his throat as he gestured her toward it, shifting uncomfortably, "That infernal device just shut off without warning. I've tried turning it back on but I've had no luck."

She hummed her understanding as she poked around, trying not to notice how close he sat by her or how she could smell his cologne. 

"So, since it seems that your lunch plans are non-existent," she knelt on the floor, taking a look at the modem, "Would you want to go grab a bite?"

A sharp intake of breath had her leaning back to be able to look up at him. He looked shocked, staring at her in disbelief, "...You...You want to have lunch...with me?"

She raised her eyebrows, trying to fight back a smile, “That’s the idea.”

He seemed to be having an internal debate, eyes flicking over her face. She was momentarily fascinated when his tongue darted out, moistening his lips. She forced her eyes back up to his stunning green ones, face flushed red. He thankfully didn’t seem to notice her distraction.

“Miss Tico, before I agree, I must ask,” his jaw was tight, eyes locked onto her face, “Is this a group lunch? You must have realized by now that I am not the most sociable person. And I am afraid that your friends do not think highly of me. Though, if I'm honest, the feeling is mutual.”

"No, it, uh, it would just be you and me," she swallowed thickly, "There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh," he said quietly, the tips of his ears pink, "Yes, of course. I...I would be delighted to join you for lunch then."

Relief flooded through her, making a wide grin bloom on her face, "Great! Does 12:30 work?"

For a second, he just stared at her as if entranced, and her heart beat just a little louder and faster. Then Hux blinked and looked away, "12:30 is perfect."  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Rose spent the rest of her morning fretting over what she was going to say. How did you ask a coworker, one you might have developed a teeny, tiny crush on, to be your fake boyfriend?

Rey stretched beside her, breaking her out of her whirling thoughts, "Time for a break! Want to have lunch with me and Ben?"

Rose smiled at her friend, shaking her head, "No, thank you! I've been warned by Hux that having lunch with the two of you is not a great idea."

Rey guffawed, "Poor Hux. I’m afraid we might have offended his tender sensibilities. Being discreet is not one of Ben's strong suits... his kissing on the other hand…"

"Ewwww! Gross," Rose laughed at Rey's eyebrow wiggle, "Get outta here! Go meet your boyfriend."

Rey gave a smart salute, and made her way to the door. She paused before stepping out, turning her head to look back at Rose, "You won't be eating alone, will you? Finn has his lunch break soon…"

Rose cut her off, her smile now a bit forced, "Don't worry about me! I'm actually going to have lunch with Hux today."

Rey's eyebrows shot up, "Oh. That's...surprising. Well, alright then. I'm off."

Rose shooed her away, getting back to work while still trying to work out what to say. 

She still didn't have a clue when Rey returned thirty minutes later, lips swollen and hair mussed. 

"Looks like Hux was right in warning me," Rose pointedly looked Rey up and down, grinning when her friend blushed.

A quiet knock on the doorframe interrupted whatever Rey's reply would have been. Both women turned to face the door to find Armitage Hux standing there, looking stiff, "Ah, hello Miss Johnson. Miss Tico, are you ready to go?"

Rose nodded, ignoring the knowing grin on Rey's face, "All set! See you in a bit, Rey!"

Rey waved her off, looking pleased, "Have fun, you two!"

As she followed Hux out, she noticed Finn in the hall. He was...glaring. At her. Her heart squeezed painfully, knowing their already strained friendship might now be over. Yet she couldn’t really manage any regret. Their friendship had never been quite the same after they'd broken up...

"Perhaps I should have met you outside," Hux whispered beside her as they got on the empty elevator to head down, "Though if Mr. Trooper tries to give you a hard time, let me know."

She blinked, surprised that he'd noticed Finn's unhappy look. As they stepped out of the elevator, she made a point of threading her arm through his. He tensed but didn't pull away, and she felt a rush of giddiness.

"Don't worry about Finn, I can handle him. That was actually very gentlemanly of you, picking me up at my cubby," she teased him, as they made their way out, "I almost felt like a heroine in a Jane Austen novel."

Hux groaned, though he seemed to relax slightly as they walked down the street, "I regret ever telling you that I've read Jane Austen's works."

She laughed at his dry tone, glancing up at him, "I think it's awesome that you like her books. I actually picked up Sense and Sensibility at the library."

He seemed surprised, "You did?"

"Yep! You said it was 'quite good' so I thought I'd give it a try," she shrugged, watching his lips quirk into one of his signature smiles. His rarely given smiles always sent her heart racing and this time was no different.

Deciding it was best not to dwell on her developing crush on this man and what she would soon have to ask him to do, she distracted herself by asking, "So, where are we eating?"

Again, that small twitch of his lips that warmed her from the inside out. He gestured ahead of her and she turned to look, a grin surging up on her face, "I love this place!"

The Millennium Falcon was honestly kind of shabby and dated, but she and Rey had found out the food was delicious. They had lunch here at least once a month. 

"Solo recommended it," Hux admitted, eyeing the place warily, "He mentioned that you and Rey enjoy eating here."

"Oh, don't let the outside scare you," she basically dragged him to the door, "The food is amazing!"

The dubious look he gave her had her rolling her eyes, "Just trust me!"

Looking away, he muttered a quiet, "I do."

With the way her heart was acting up, she would have to check-in to the nearest hospital. She would never have imagined that Hux was a sweet guy when he'd first started working at their office.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

Both turned to the new voice, and Rose was surprised when Hux swore under his breath.

"Long time no see, Armitage," Han, the restaurant's owner smirked at them, "Hey there, Tico."

"Hi, Han," she responded, glancing from him to Hux.

Hux inclined his head, face eerily calm, "It has been a while, Mr. Solo."

Rose felt her thoughts screech to a halt, "Solo? As in...Ben Solo?"

"My son," Han looked both proud and a bit anxious, "He hasn't been causing any trouble, has he?"

Rose replied, "No!"

At the same time, Hux scoffed, "Always."

Han laughed boisterously, clapping a hand on Hux's shoulder, "Well, it's a good thing that you're there to keep him in line! Come on, Ben called and said you'd be coming by. Got a table for you and Tico."

He led them to a quiet booth, then took his leave with a roguish wink. Hux's cool facade melted away, his jaw clenched tight, "I'm going to kill Solo."

"Rey will probably murder you if you try," Rose joked, "I think she's starting to really like him. Had no idea his dad was the owner of this place though."

"If I had been aware of that, I would most likely have chosen somewhere else," Hux grumbled, but he sounded a little less murderous which Rose took as a good sign.

A waiter came by, getting their drinks and handing them menus. It was only after they had placed their orders that Hux turned to her, fingers steepled in front of him, "Well, Miss Tico, what did you need to speak to me about?"

Taking a deep breath and hoping that Hux wouldn't find her pathetic, she began, "I need your help."

A raise of his eyebrows prompted her to continue, "See, I'm supposed to bring my boyfriend to the office party this weekend."

Across from her, Hux froze, expression blank, "I wasn't aware you had a new boyfriend."

Rose winced, playing with the straw in her drink, "...I, uh, I don't."

He blinked, eyebrows drawing down. He looked mostly confused but there was something else in his expression. It almost seemed like...relief, "I'm afraid I don't understand, Miss Tico."

"I might have told Finn and a few others that I would be bringing my new boyfriend to our office party. Problem is, he doesn't exist," she knew her cheeks were flushed, embarrassed at having to admit she'd done such a petty thing.

"I see," he said slowly, carefully, "and you need my help to…"

"Be my fake boyfriend," she interrupted him, feeling like she would combust any moment from embarrassment.

Again, he froze, mouth open, "...That...is not what I thought you were going to say. I was certain you wanted my help to find someone suitable."

Rose shook her head, meeting his eyes shyly, "I honestly think you'd be perfect...but, I mean, if you're uncomfortable with that…"

Now it was his turn to interrupt her, his hand reaching across and resting above her own, "I'd be honored to be your fictitious boyfriend."

Her hand seemed to tingle where it touched his and Rose knew her voice sounded a bit breathless as she spoke, "Really? You don't think I'm being too petty?"

"You, Miss Tico, are a saint. Mr. Trooper has been rather tactless and obtuse. He deserves every bit of discomfort that comes his way," his hand retreated as the waiter brought their food and Rose was disappointed at the loss of contact.

She distracted herself by digging into her cheeseburger, feeling buoyed by Hux's agreement and his words. Hux daintily picked at his grilled chicken and salad, looking thoughtful, "...Should I draft up a contract for this arrangement?"

Rose almost spit out her bite of beef, "What?! No! We don't need a contract...though….I guess we do need to set up some rules."

Hux nodded agreeably, "Of course, Miss Tico."

"Rule number one! You are going to be calling me Rose from now on," she chided him, "Can't have my boyfriend calling me Miss Tico, now can we? Do you want me to call you something different? Armitage?....Sweetheart?....Honey-bunny?"

He nearly spit out his own food, cheeks rosy, "Armitage is fine….Rose."

Rose was certain she was on the brink of spontaneous combustion. She chugged at her icy lemonade, knowing her face resembled a cherry. If she reacted this way to just him saying her name, then she was in deeper than she had previously thought. 

Their waiter came by and refilled their glasses, and Hux waited till he was gone before pressing on, "How far do you wish to take this, Miss….uh, Rose?"

"What do you mean?"

"We will be expected to act like a couple. Therefore, we will have to be more...intimate with each other," he appeared outwardly calm but Rose noticed his ears had turned pink.

The heat in her cheeks traveled down her neck, "Oh yeah. Um, well, we'll definitely have to hold hands…"

"Yes, that's a given," he seemed unsure if he should continue, but seemed to gather his resolve, "Kissing is also rather prevalent in new couples…"

Yep, definitely spontaneous combustion. She could just see the headlines now: young woman catches on fire after thinking of kissing her coworker.

Her voice sounded squeaky, even to her own ears, "That's...yeah. Ummm, I'm fine with it if you are…?"

His rapidly reddening face clashed horribly with his hair. He simply nodded, pulling at his tie. He cleared his throat, eyes flicking everywhere but at her, "I am fully aware this is an awkward conversation to have, but I want to be sure I don't make you uncomfortable."

And now she felt like kissing him...well, at least now she knew she'd be able to at the office party…

"It's not...well, ok it's a little awkward," she admitted with a smile, "But I'm just happy that you didn't think I was crazy….Armitage? Thank you."

Again, he stopped and stared at her. Then he looked down, but she didn't miss the smile that appeared on his lips, "You're very welcome."  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Standing in front of the mirror, Rose groaned loudly, "This won't work…"

Rey didn't even glance up from where she was applying her mascara, "What won't work?"

"These shoes," Rose glared at the offending pair on her feet, "They make me look like a hooker."

Snorting a laugh, Rey finally looked over, eyes assessing, "...So just wear different ones."

"I can't with this dress," she took off the shoes to demonstrate, "If I wear any other shoes, I look like a dwarf."

"Well," Rey began, a cheeky smile presenting itself, "Do you want to look like a hooker or a dwarf?"

"You're hilarious," Rose deadpanned, turning back to rifle through her already messy closet.

"You've already tried on six different dresses, Rose, and all of them have looked wonderful," Rey reminded her teasingly, "Just pick one."

Rose knew she was being silly. Rey was right...but none of the outfits she'd tried had felt right. She wanted to look stunning...she didn't want Hux to regret being her boyfriend, albeit only a pretend one. She wanted...She wanted Hux to find her pretty, "I just want to look perfect tonight. And I can't look perfect without the right dress."

A scoff had Rose poking her head out to catch Rey's eyeroll, "Oh, please. You could be wearing a potato sack and Hux still wouldn't be able to take his eyes off you."

Blushing, Rose turned back to her closet...until Rey's words registered in her mind. She faced her friend again, spluttering, "Wha…? I never said..."

One of Rey's eyebrows rose, "You can't be serious. You really didn't think I'd figure it out? You've been orbiting each other all week!"

Rose had to admit they had spent a lot of time together. They'd had lunch with each other every day this week and had even gone out for dinner. A lot of that time was trying to iron out the kinks in their plan and getting their stories straight...but some of it was surprisingly spent just enjoying each other's company. 

"Not only that, the man has been besotted with you since he started working with us," Rey added in a matter of fact tone.

Rose had to scoff, "You've got to be kidding. Armitage hated my guts! We shared a very mutual dislike at the beginning."

Rey's expression turned smug, "Armitage, huh? Well, in Armitage's defense, the poor bloke has a serious case of emotional constipation. I'm positive he had no idea how to handle having a crush on a coworker...one who had a steady boyfriend. His and Ben's flirting skills are basically non-existent."

Rose felt as if someone had hit her with a sledgehammer. She sat heavily on her bed, wondering if it could possibly be true. All the stinging barbs and scathing remarks at the beginning...could that really have been him trying to cover up his crush?

The bed dipped as Rey took a seat beside her, voice soft, "Rose, why didn't you tell me?"

Rose forced herself to speak past the lump in her throat, knowing she couldn't lie to her best friend any longer, "Because there was nothing to tell. We're not really dating. I was so furious with Finn that I made up having a boyfriend. Hux was nice enough to agree to pretend to be my boyfriend."

Rey stared at her for a minute, hazel eyes taking in her miserable expression, "....Oh, Rose. Honey, do you like him?"

"Yes," she found the word slipping out of her mouth, hearing the undeniable truth in it. She didn't have a simple crush...She'd gone and fallen in love with Armitage Hux. It had happened so gradually, in the months following her breakup, she hadn't even noticed. And now, she had to find a way to untangle this whole situation and let him know her feelings were real.

Rey gave her a warm hug, "Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's get you dressed up so you can catch yourself a ginger!"  
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It took another hour till Rose felt satisfied with her and Rey's efforts. She twirled in front of the mirror, feeling pretty. The red dress she'd chosen complimented her coloring nicely and had a flattering cut. Rey herself looked gorgeous in a deep green cocktail dress. 

Their giggles and compliments were interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. Rose's heart thumped a little faster in her chest, stomach tying itself in knots, as she hurried to the front door of her apartment.

She opened the door to find an exasperated Hux and an eager Ben, "Good evening, gentlemen."

"Hi, Rose," Ben craned his neck, looking over her head, "Where's Rey?"

Rolling her eyes, she stepped aside, gesturing him in, "She's in my room finishing up. Come on in."

He didn't need to be told twice. A quiet chuckle escaped her as Ben rushed by, before Rose turned her attention to Hux.

"If I have to sit and listen to him extol Miss Johnson's virtues one more time, I might just lose my sanity," he griped as he stepped inside, freezing when he finally got a look at her ensemble.

Rose shuffled her feet, looking up at him shyly, "What do you think? Do I look ok?"

Hux cleared his throat, nodding his head, "You look...you look good."

His flushing cheeks was all the compliment she needed. She reached out and took his hand, her own cheeks warm as well, "Thank you. You look good too."

And he did, with a dark blue button up, black tie, and black slacks. He seemed baffled by her compliment, "I am quite aware that I am not particularly blessed in the looks department, so there's no need for false compliments."

"...You're joking."

Again, that befuddled look and she rolled her eyes, "Armitage, you're six feet of hotness. I mean, even when I hated your guts, I still thought you were attractive! You just need to...here, let me do it for you."

She gestured him down and he obliged, hesitating only a second. She ran her fingers through his hair, trying to break the hold of the pomade. He startled, but she tsked at him and he stilled beneath her fingers. 

"There!" 

His hair was no longer in its pomade prison. A bit of ginger hair fell on his forehead. He raised a brow at her, and her stomach twisted, "How is unkempt hair attractive?"

"It is, trust me," Rose winked at him, "You, Armitage, are hot."

Color rose up on his face, "...Thank you."

Rey and Ben appeared, looking rumpled. Rose shot her a disbelieving look, to which Rey just shrugged, a satisfied smile on her face, "Are you both ready to go?"

"After you," Rose motioned Rey and Ben ahead, then turned back to Hux, "...I should let you know that Rey knows our little secret."

His fingers wrapped around her hand, holding on as if she was the only thing anchoring him to the ground, "Completely understandable. She is your best friend, after all."

She felt the familiar flutter as she held onto his hand, "Thank you again for doing this."

Hux lifted up their joined hands, lips skimming over her fingers, sending warm tingles of electricity all over her body, "It's my pleasure."

They followed Ben and Rey out, and while Rose still felt anxious, Hux's presence was both comforting and electrifying. Hux had already offered to be designated driver so they'd all clambered into his very nice Tesla. As they drove, she tried to think of a way she could confess to Hux that she very much wanted this for real, not just pretend. She wanted him. She just had to find the courage to tell him that. It helped that she now knew he at least liked her...at least according to Rey.

He parked in the office lot, slipping out and opening her door. She took his offered hand, appreciating his gentlemanly gesture. Instead of releasing it, she threaded their fingers together, "Ready?"

Hux bent down, lips brushing her ear as he whispered, "Lead the way."

She followed him into the building, feeling unbalanced. Rey, who walked arm-in-arm with Ben ahead of them, turned her head and gave her a wink.

They made their way inside, taking the elevator up. Rose held tightly onto Hux's hand, beyond nervous. Again, Hux bent down, his nose in her hair and his lips brushing the shell of her ear, “Everything will be fine, Rose.”

Was he trying to kill her? Her heart couldn’t take much more of this. Sure, they’d practiced being a couple, but that was mostly holding hands and being close to each other. She leaned a little more into him, not sure her legs had recovered from being turned into Jell-O.

He untangled their hands, his arm snaking around her waist and pulling her even closer. He was being rather daring tonight...and it was pretty sexy. 

The elevator doors opened and they followed Ben and Rey out. The buzz of conversation died for a beat as people turned to look at the new arrivals. The shock on some of their colleagues' faces was evident as they stared at her and Hux. 

Rose nearly turned around and went right back into the elevator, but Hux’s arm tightened around her waist. His warmth was both reassuring and nerve-wracking. She looked away from all the judging eyes, ignoring the hum of renewed conversations. Even with her high heels, she had to surge on tiptoe to whisper into Hux’s ear, “I didn’t think people would stare quite so much.”

“You’re the most gorgeous creature in the room,” he whispered back, “Of course they’d stare...especially when they see you entering with me.”

She stared at him, flushed from her head to her toes. Did he really think her gorgeous? Her self confidence had taken a severe hit after Finn had ended things, claiming he'd tried but just couldn't see her in "that way". Knowing that Hux found her attractive bolstered her. 

“Really, Rose?!"

Startled, she turned her face away from Hux, stomach sinking. Finn looked furious. His dark eyes were glaring daggers at her, mouth twisted in disgust. 

“Hux?! I mean, are you serious?! I can’t believe you’d stoop so low,” Finn spat out, “This...this is disgusting. All this to get back at me...is that it?”

Her anger started to simmer, her eyes stinging with the threat of tears. How dare he? How dare he critize her when he had moved on only a week after they'd broken up? How dare he judge her on who she liked?

“Not everything revolves around you, Trooper,” Hux hissed back, his voice ice cold, “I’d demand you apologize, but I know you would refuse, so take yourself off.”

“I wasn’t talking to you, prick,” Finn growled back, fists clenching, "Why on earth would you start dating this asshole?!"

Rose drew herself to her full height, fire in her eyes, "Because I like him. I like him a lot."

Finn looked thunderstruck, mouth agape. Hux looked smug, lips pulled into a smirk, “Make yourself scarce or I will gladly report you to HR for harassment.”

Finn’s hatred was almost tangible as he spun and strode back to stand with Poe, heads bent in hushed conversation. Hux stepped in front of her, hands cupping her face and guiding it up to look at him, “Are you alright?”

She nodded, closing her eyes and focusing on the warmth of his hands on her face. She felt the press of his lips on her forehead, and her eyes snapped open, connecting with his sea-green ones. She licked her lips, swallowing thickly, “I’m sorry about Finn. I need you to know this was never about hurting him, I just...”

Hux put a finger on her mouth, stopping all her words and thoughts, “Rose, you don’t need to explain yourself. Not to me.”

Her breath stuttered out, and Hux dropped his finger as if her lips were burning. He cleared his throat, wrapping his arm around her and leading her to a shadowed corner where chairs had been set up.

“Wait here,” his voice was gentle as was the look in his eyes, “I’ll go get us some water.”

“Ok,” she smiled softly, watching him walk away and already missing his steady presence beside her. She sank down onto one of the chairs, sighing. What a disaster. 

“So...Tonight has been interesting,” a husky voice brought her out of her thoughts. 

She glanced at Ben, eyebrow rising, “I’m glad you find it amusing. Where’s Rey?”

“Giving Finn a 'stern talking to',” he looked rather put-out, his hulking frame folded up into the too small chair.

She made a move to stand, but he put a hand on her arm, “Oh no you don’t. She told me to make certain you stay put. Besides, I’ve been wanting to chat with you about a certain carrot stick.”

She relaxed back into her chair, groaning, “I know. I’m a horrible person. I shouldn’t have asked Armitage for such a stupid favor.”

Ben chuckled, shaking his head, “Actually, it was great that you did. If you hadn’t, he would have still been pining after you, pretending to know nothing about computers and calling IT for help.”

She blinked her eyes, not sure she’d heard him right, "What?”

Looking like the cat who caught the canary, Ben went on, “Rose, Hux was the head of IT at our last job. He’s a genius….don’t tell him I said that...but he is.”

“But...No. You're serious? Why on earth would he fake computer trouble?"

Ben sighed good naturedly, taking her hand in his giant ones, "He likes you, Rose. You broke up with Trooper and he wanted a chance. Problem was, you hated him...You had every reason to, Hux is an asshole most of the time. So he began to call IT for fabricated problems with his computer.”

“He wanted to change my opinion of him,” she whispered, almost to herself. It actually made perfect sense...the IT calls from Hux had only started after their encounter in the janitor's closet.

Ben nodded, dropping her hand and lounging deeper into his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, “He wanted to ask you out on a date when you didn’t hate his guts anymore.”

Her heart feeling lighter than it had in months, Rose couldn’t help a wide grin from emerging, “...Thank you, Ben.”

He shrugged, awkwardly shuffling his feet now that he’d said his piece, “I thought you should know.”

“You thought she should know what?”

Hux stood before them, two bottles of water in his hand. He looked at Ben suspiciously, to which Ben just smirked. Rose stood, taking one of the bottles and then Hux’s empty hand, “Could I talk to you? In private?”

Hux blanched, but nodded, following behind her. She led him to his cubicle, her heart racing. She set the bottle of water on his desk, then took his bottle and set it beside hers.

"Armitage, were you head of IT at your last job?"

He tensed, jaw clenching, "That snitch. I'm going to kill him."

She reached for his hands and he turned his attention back to her, wary eyes meeting hers. 

"...I apologize for deceiving you, Rose," he held her hands gently, his thumbs rubbing circles into her skin, "I...You're fascinating and wonderful and you hated me. I wanted you to see I wasn't an insufferable prat...At least, not all the time. I...I wanted you to like me...like I like you."

Rose dropped his hands and his expression fell, his shoulders slumping in resigned defeat. That wouldn't do.

In one movement, she'd stepped up into him, grabbed onto his tie and pulled him down to her. 

He exhaled shakily, eyes wide, "Rose?"

"Armitage," his name escaped in a husky whisper before she surged up and kissed him. 

For days, she'd dreamed how kissing him would feel and those all paled in comparison with the real thing. 

He'd instantly reacted, his hands finding her hips and pulling her to him. Her other hand had found its way to the back of his neck, stroking the soft ginger strands there. 

He kissed like he argued, passionate and fiery. He followed her lead, soft lips molding to match hers. Rose licked the seam of his lips, pulling a soft whimper of need from him. He opened to her, deepening the kiss, tongues meeting. One of his hands traced a scorching path up her body, settling at her cheek. Her skin was on fire and her heart was pounding frantically in her chest. 

They broke apart, breathing raggedly. She looked up into his darkened eyes, body pressed against his, "I meant what I said to Finn...I really like you, Armitage."

He closed his eyes, resting his forehead against hers, "Thank the stars. I hoped that if I showed you I was a fantastic fake boyfriend, perhaps you would let me be your real one."

The quick peck she'd meant to give him evolved into another heated kiss. She leaned back after they'd parted, hyper aware of his lean body pressing against her, "Well, Armitage Hux, it looks like the job is yours."

"Good," he replied, arms tight around her body, green eyes blazing with affection and want, "Now, should we rejoin our friends?"

She pretended to think for a moment, "Hmmm...As fun as that would be...Just think of all the things we could accomplish here."

The devious smile he gave her stole all her breath, sending heat rushing through her body, "As you wish."


End file.
